VOICES Newsletter



May 21, 2010

Dear Families and Friends,

Another busy month for all of us at VOICES!

By now you should have received an invitation in the mail to our 3rd Annual Always Remember Benefit to be held in Downtown Manhattan on Monday, June 14th. We are honored to have Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as our keynote speaker, and President Bill Clinton as our Honorary Chairman. All proceeds from the event will benefit our ongoing efforts to work with 9/11 families, rescue workers and survivors to create the 9/11 Living Memorial Project.

Our staff and committee members are busy finalizing plans and thus far we have had a wonderful response! The event includes a silent auction, followed by dinner and exciting entertainment. We have assembled a wonderful selection of auction items and welcome any additional donations from our membership. Contact our office if you would like to donate an item.

During the month of April our work at VOICES was recognized in a number of ways. Our interns and volunteers were acknowledged for their dedication of time and talents to support our work and the individuals we serve. In addition, nearly 70 enthusiastic bicyclists participated in the 42 mile TD Bank 5 Borough Bike Tour to raise much needed funds on our behalf. Our thanks to Team VOICES!

Last month I received a recognition award from the National Network for Social Work Managers. It was an honor to receive an award from such a distinguished group of colleagues, however VOICES accomplishments over the years are a result of the collective efforts of our dedicated staff and committed volunteers. In April alone, our staff met with families in Boston, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C. They are truly incredible individuals and I am grateful for their ongoing commitment! The acknowledgement of our work by the social work community reinforces for each of us the importance of our ongoing commitment to the 9/11 community.

In closing, we hope to see many of you at our June 14th gala. You can register by mail, or visit our website at www.voicesofsept11.org to register online or make a donation. Feel free to contact our office if you have any questions or would like to donate an auction item.

Warm regards,
 
Signature

Mary Fetchet & The VOICES Staff

 ________________________________________________________

 


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

9/11 Living Memorial
Workshop Appointments


New Brunswick, NJ
Saturday, May 22th

Manalapan, NJ
Tuesday, May 25th

New Brunswick, NJ
Wednesday, May 26th

New Brunswick, NJ
Wednesday, June 2nd

New Brunswick, NJ
Thursday, June 3rd

For a full schedule of upcoming
workshop appointments Click Here.


VOICES Teleconference Schedule

Monday, May 25th:
Witness/Survivors' Support Group
4:00pm to 5:00pm

Tuesday, June 1st:
Firefighter Mothers' Group
10:00am to 11:00am

Tuesday, June 1st:
Parents' Support Group
3:45pm to 5:00pm

Tuesday, June 1st:
Parenting Teleconference Group
9:00pm to 10:00pm

Tuesday, June 15th:
Wives' Group
12:00pm to 1:00pm

Tuesday, June 15th:
Rockland Parents' In-Person Group
7:00pm to 9:00pm

Wednesday, June 16th:
Siblings' Group
2:30pm to 3:30pm


For a full schedule of upcoming teleconference groups Click Here.

For a complete list of events visit our website at www.voicesofsept11.org.

To add an event to our calendar contact newsletters@voicesofsept11.org.



Tony Blair keynote speaker at
VOICES 3rd Annual Always Remember Benefit
June 14 in NYC

Tony Blair PhotoJoin us at VOICES 3rd Annual Always Remember Benefit on Monday, June 14th in New York City. We are very excited and honored that Former Prime Minister Tony Blair will be our keynote speaker and President Bill Clinton our Honorary Chairman. The event will include a cocktail reception and silent auction, followed by dinner and entertainment. All proceeds will benefit VOICES ongoing efforts to work with 9/11 families, rescue workers and survivors to create the 9/11 Living Memorial Project. We hope you will join us for a very special evening!! Contact our office at 203-966-3911 to make a reservation or donate an auction item. Online reservations and donations can also be made. More.


TEAM VOICES Raises Funds in TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour
Team VOICES BikersOn Sunday, May 2nd sixty-nine energetic cyclists from across the US and Canada rode on behalf of VOICES in the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Tour. Several cyclists participated in memory of loved ones lost on 9/11. In addition, members of various police and fire departments participated in honor of their fallen colleagues. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and despite the rising temperatures, the cyclists successfully navigated the 42 mile course through the five boroughs. All of us at VOICES are very grateful to the cyclists who comprised TEAM VOICES. As a result of their outstanding efforts, $20,000 was raised which will help sustain our programs. Please take a moment to view our slideshow of some the participants who joined us at the finish line.

The National Network for Social Work Managers Honors VOICES Founding Director
Award PhotoVOICES Founding Director, Mary Fetchet was presented a Special Recognition Award for Outstanding Leadership in Extraordinary Circumstances by the National Network for Social Work Managers. The two day conference, held at Fordham University was hosted by the 21st Annual Management Institute brings together social workers and managers from the full range of human service organizations. Ms. Fetchet was nominated by Dean Richard Edwards, from the Social Work School of Rutgers University. The Network is dedicated to developing leadership, management skills, and mutually supportive relationships that advance organizational effectiveness. More.

United Way recognizes VOICES Volunteer, Colleen McGinley
Colleen McGinley Photo In celebration of National Volunteer Week, the United Way of Central Jersey hosted an Awards Presentation and Dinner Reception on April 15, 2010 at Hess Corporate Center, Woodbridge, NJ. We are very proud that one of VOICES' dedicated volunteers, Miss Colleen McGinley, was recognized as a 2010 Hometown Hero by the United Way of Central Jersey for the work that she has done in our New Jersey office in Middlesex County. “Colleen is a very compassionate young woman who has made many important contributions to our organization. We are grateful for her time and dedication. She has truly made a difference in the lives of the people we serve,” remarked Founding Director Mary Fetchet. More.

VOICES celebrates the graduation of our social work interns from Rutgers University
Rutgers Interns PhotoVOICES staff honored this years social work interns, from left to right, Marian Pho, Samantha Hampton, Vicky Fragasso and Sara Friedman. The celebration included homemade graduation caps, sharing memories of relationships forged, lots of laughter and of course, DESSERT! While at VOICES, their duties included working with families, rescue/recovery workers, and survivors on the 9/11 Living Memorial Project. "If you have had an opportunity to visit our office, you can attest that these special interns were an integral part of our team and will surely be missed," said Gina Reilly. We hope you will join us in wishing them well as they celebrate their scholastic achievements and embark on their careers. More.


Fealgood Foundation Presents: Red White & Blue
An intimate evening honoring and remembering 9/11 responders and heroes. The event takes place on Thursday, June 10th at the Water Mill Inn in Stamford. More.

Concert Honoring Families and Survivors of 9/11
The Porterville Panther Band from Porterville, CA has a long legacy of great performances throughout our nation including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, The Tournament of Roses and the Olympic games and will be honoring families and survivors of the 9-11 disaster with a world premiere composition. Free tickets available to 9/11 families. More.


New York Mosque Plan Stirs Up 9/11 Memories
From the outside it doesn't look like much. Paint peels from the walls. An old, iron fire escape zig-zags up the outside of the building. At the front door a sharply dressed man, in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, ushers in the worshippers. Men to the right, women to the left. More.

WTC veteran cop Robert Oswain, 42, dies from cancer
Police Officer Robert Oswain, a Bronx cop who served in recovery efforts at Ground Zero, died of cancer late Saturday. He was 42. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly commended Oswain, who had recently married, for his "valiant struggle" against the disease. He expressed condolences to Oswain's family. More.

U.S. Outlines Moves After Bomb Suspect’s Arrest
In the days after a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan was arrested on charges he left a car bomb near Times Square, hundreds of federal agents were deployed in different cities to prevent future attacks, prosecutors said in a letter that was unsealed on Thursday. More.

Resident Donates 9-11 Memorial
Everett Paladini, a 34-year Vernon Township resident, is donating his sculpture, "In Memory," to the township for permanent display at the municipal center. The sculpture is in memory of the 691 New Jersey residents who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. More.

Police memorial adds woman who served on 9/11
The name of another officer who died in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks has been etched into Rockland's granite memorial honoring police officers who died in the line of duty. The name of New York City Police Officer Patrice M. Ott of Pearl River will be unveiled Sunday during Rockland's 25th annual Police Memorial Ceremony. More.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:
www.voicesofsept11.org

©2009 Voices of September 11th.  All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

VOICES of September 11th is a nonpartisan advocacy group that provides services and advocates for all those affected by September 11th; promotes public policy reform on prevention, preparedness and response to terrorism; and builds bridges between international communities changed by terrorism. In 2006, VOICES launched the 9/11 Living Memorial digital archive that commemorates the lives and stories of September 11, 2001.